Braid-on wig hair extension

ABSTRACT

The braid-on wig hair extension includes a base conforming closely to the wearer&#39;s head when installed, the base having an outer surface with display hair extending therefrom and an inner surface with a number of attachment tresses extending therefrom. The attachment tresses are combed together with tresses of the wearer&#39;s native hair, the combined wig attachment hair and native hair then being braided together to secure the wig to the wearer&#39;s head. Native hair not used for wig attachment may be dispensed with, e.g., by forming braids that conform closely to the wearer&#39;s scalp, removing the non-attachment hair, etc. The wig may be full or partial. The wig base may be impervious to the passage of the native hair of the wearer therethrough, or may be formed with pores through which the native hair of the wearer may be drawn for blending with wig display hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to hair accessories, andparticularly to a braid-on wig hair extension that is secured in placeby braiding internally disposed tresses of hair within the wig to thenative hair of the wearer.

2. Description of the Related Art

Wigs, toupees, and various embellishments to the native hair (i.e., therooted, natural hair) or scalp have been known for a considerable time.Such hair embellishments were often used in the past to indicate rank,social status, or profession, and in certain cases and societies arestill used in this manner. However, most wigs and hairpieces arepresently used to enhance the appearance of the wearer by providing theappearance of a fuller or more highly styled hairdo or head of hair, asin most societies a full head of hair, particularly if the hair isstyled nicely, is found to be more attractive than a balding scalp.

A number of different methods of attaching a wig or hairpiece to thehead of the wearer have been developed in the past. In many instances,the wig is provided with a closely fitting, generally hemispherical basethat conforms closely to the underlying scalp of the wearer when beingworn. Current wigs are generally provided with a circumferential or atleast a semicircumferential elastic band to improve security. While sucharrangements may be satisfactory in many instances, they still do notprovide good security for the wig, and can lead to embarrassingsituations when the wig slips from the wearer's head.

As a result many wearers of wigs, toupees and hairpieces will useadditional clips or small combs to assist in securing the hairpiece tothe head, assuming they have sufficient hair to provide for suchattachment. However, such mechanical attachment means often results indiscomfort for the wearer as the hard and perhaps sharp attachments arepressed into the scalp by the overlying wig. Such devices may also pullout the native hair of the wearer to which they are attached. Thus, manyusers of such attachments will put up with the discomfort only so longas absolutely necessary, and will remove the wig as soon as possiblewhen privacy permits.

Certain wigs and hairpieces have been developed with bases and/orfrontal areas formed of transparent (or nearly transparent) lace, toprovide a more natural appearance. Obviously, such attachments as pins,combs, and clips cannot be used to secure such wigs or hairpieces to thehead, due to their visibility through the transparent lace base of thehairpiece. Accordingly, such wigs or hairpieces with lace areas in thebase are often secured to the scalp and/or hair of the wearer byadhesives (liquid glues or tape). While such attachment may provide amore secure installation, particularly when bonded directly to thescalp, the chemicals can be irritating to the skin and can be quitedifficult to remove. The solvents that might be used for removal can beeven harsher to the skin, and hair loss is a common occurrence with suchattachment means. As a result, adhesively secured wigs and hairpiecesare often left in place for extended periods of time (perhaps up toseveral weeks), but the adhesive attachment must be touched up from timeto time in order to provide acceptable security for the wig.

More satisfactory solutions to the wig security problem have been soughtby developing sewn on wig attachments. Generally, the wearer's hair isinitially French braided for neatness and to provide a good base forstitching the wig or hairpiece to the native hair of the wearer. The wigor hairpiece may be stitched or sewn directly to the braids of thewearer, or a thin stocking cap or the like may be applied over thebraided native hair and the wig or hairpiece sewn in place through thecap to the native hair braids. The wig or hairpiece is conventional,i.e., there are no additional strands or fibers of material, oradditional hair, extending from beneath the base of the hairpiece to aidin the installation. The sewing or stitching is carried out by passingthe thread directly through the base material of the wig or hairpiece,and then through the braids of the wearer's native hair.

The advantages to this technique are that it provides a much more secureattachment and allows the wearer to treat the hair as natural hair,i.e., grooming, shampooing, etc. The wearer can engage in any activitiesthat might be enjoyed with one's native or natural hair, e.g., swimming,etc., without concern that the wig may part company. As a result, suchstitched or sewn in place wigs may be left in place for weeks at a time,with conventional grooming techniques providing good hygiene. When thewearer wishes to remove the wig, he or she need only cut the threads.However, this attachment method does have certain drawbacks, in that thethreads may cut or otherwise damage the hair, particularly if they aredrawn too tightly. Also, care must be taken during the sewing operationthat the stitching is not drawn too tightly, as this can cause somediscomfort to the wearer. While removal of the sewn in place wig isrelatively easy and can be accomplished by the wearer, the applicationor installation of the wig is often handled by another party who has atleast some experience and skill with such a method.

Thus, a braid-on wig hair extension solving the aforementioned problemsis desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The braid-on wig hair extension may comprise various forms of partial orfull wigs formed of natural human hair, synthetic hair, or a mixture ofboth. All of the wig embodiments include a base sheet having aconfiguration somewhat like a skull cap or the like, i.e., having aninner surface facing the scalp of the wearer and an opposite outersurface with the wig hair extending therefrom, the base sheet closelyconforming to the head of the wearer when the wig is installed. However,the base further includes a number of wefts or tresses of hair (naturalor synthetic) or other flexible strands of material extending from theinner surface, which serve to secure the wig to the native hair of thewearer. All of the attachment strands are natural hair, synthetic hair,and/or other cords, filaments, or fibers. The wig may be in the form ofa full or complete wig, or a partial wig or hairpiece. The base of thewig may comprise a closely woven material that is substantiallyimpervious to the passage of the wearer's native hair therethrough, ormay comprise one or more areas of porous material (e.g., lace, etc.)that allow the wearer's native hair to be drawn through the pores andblended with the hair of the wig.

The braid-on wig hair extension also includes methods of attachment ofthe extension to the native hair of the wearer. The methods include theforming of attachment locks or tresses of the wearer's native hair,blending or combining these tresses or locks of native hair with theattachment tresses extending from the inner side of the base of the wig,braiding the combined tresses, and dispensing with the remainder of thewearer's hair that is not used for the attachment of the wig, e.g.,braiding this hair to form braids lying close to the scalp, or perhapsremoving this non-attachment native hair. Alternatively, where a wigwith a porous base is used, some or all of the non-attachment nativehair of the wearer may be drawn through the pores of the base andblended with the hair of the wig.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a braid-on wig hair extension according tothe present invention, showing various features thereof.

FIG. 2 is an environmental front elevation view showing the separationof the forelocks of the wearer for braiding as part of a method ofattaching a braid-on wig hair extension according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is an environmental front elevation view of the wearer of FIG. 2,showing the completion of the forelock braiding in preparation forattaching a partial head braid-on wig hair extension according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is an environmental left side elevation view showing braidedattachment of the front portion of the braid-on wig hair extensionaccording to the present invention to the first attachment braids of thewearer, and braiding of the crown hair of the wearer.

FIG. 5 is an environmental top plan view of the configuration of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an environmental left side elevation view showing the braidedattachment of the upper rear portion of the braid-on wig hair extensionaccording to the present invention to the wearer, and braiding of theupper rear area of the wearer's hair.

FIG. 7 is an environmental rear elevation view showing braiding of thenative hair of the wearer on the back of the wearer's head.

FIG. 8 is an environmental left side elevation showing the braidingattachment of the braid-on wig hair extension according to the presentinvention to a rearwardly disposed braided area of the wearer's hair.

FIG. 9 is an environmental rear elevation view showing the formation ofa wig attachment braid across the top of the neck of the wearer and partof a process for attaching a braid-on wig hair extension according tothe present invention.

FIG. 10 is an environmental front elevation view showing the completedattachment of a braid-on wig hair extension according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram describing the basic steps in the method ofinstalling a braid-on wig to the native hair of the wearer.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The braid-on wig hair extension is configured or structured for braidedattachment to the native hair of the wearer, i.e., that natural hairrooted in and growing from the scalp of the wearer. The term “nativehair” is used for such naturally growing hair, in order to differentiatethe native hair of the wearer from the hair of the wig, which may benatural human hair retrieved from another person and used to form thehair of the wig, or alternatively, a synthetic fiber. The braid-on wighair extension differs from conventional wigs and hair extensions byhaving display hair, i.e., hair extending outwardly from the wigstructure and being exposed to view when the wig is being worn, andattachment hair extending from the inner or concealed surface of the wigbase opposite the display hair.

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of an exemplary braid-on wig hair extension10 configured in accordance with the present invention. The braid-on wighair extension 10 has a base 12 configured to cover at least a portionof the scalp area of the wearer. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1and 4 through 10, the braid-on wig hair extension 10 is a three-quartersize unit, i.e., providing complete coverage for a portion of the headof the wearer of the device. However, it will be understood that thebraid-on wig hair extension may be formed as a larger, fuller unit toprovide a complete and full head of hair for the wearer. It may also beformed as a smaller unit to cover only a smaller portion of the head ofthe wearer, if so desired.

The base 12 is formed of a thin, pliable, head-conforming sheet ofmaterial, i.e., the base 12 is constructed in a generally hemisphericalshape to fit reasonably well over the top of the human head. Peripheralelastic and/or other securing means may be provided. The base 12 has anexterior surface 14, i.e., the surface away from the head of the wearerwhen the braid-on wig 10 is being worn, and an opposite interior surface16, i.e., the surface oriented toward the scalp of the wearer when thewig 10 is being worn. The display hair 18 of the wig 10 is attached toand extends outwardly from substantially the entire area of the exteriorsurface 14 of the base 12, where it is visible when the wig 10 is beingworn. The display hair 18 may comprise natural human hair, artificialhair formed of synthetic fibers, or some combination of the two, asdesired. The base 12 may be formed of a plurality of individual wefts orsheaths of hair combined and sewn together, a finely woven sheet ofmaterial, or may alternatively be formed of a fine, porous material. Theporosity of such material (e.g., lace, etc.), if used, defines myriadnative hair passages that allow strands or locks of the native hair ofthe wearer to be drawn through the passages to be blended with thedisplay hair 18 of the wig 10.

The interior surface 16 of the base 12 has a series of attachment hairtresses or wefts extending therefrom opposite the display hair 18 of theopposite outer or exterior surface 14. In the exemplary braid-on wighair extension 10 described herein, the attachment hair tresses comprisea forwardly disposed first attachment tress 20 a extending from theforward periphery 22 of the base interior surface 16, a crown attachmenttress 20 b disposed across the crown area of the base 12 toward therearward portion thereof, an upper rear head attachment area 20 cextending across the base 12 somewhat rearwardly of the crown attachmenttress 20 b, and a nape attachment tress 20 d extending generally acrossthe rearward edge or periphery 24 of the base 12. More or fewer suchattachment tresses may be provided to extend from the interior surface16 of the base 12 as desired, and different patterns may be provided, ifso desired. The various attachment tresses 20 a through 20 d may beformed of natural human hair, artificial hair, fibers, filaments, cords,or some combination of these elements, as in the case of the displayhair 18.

FIGS. 2 through 9 illustrate the progressive steps in the installationof the braid-on wig hair extension 10 to the head and hair of the wearerW. FIG. 10 provides an exemplary front elevation view of the completedbraid-on wig hair extension installation. FIG. 11 is a flowchart brieflydescribing the basic steps in the method of installation shown in FIGS.2 through 9. The initial step 100 in the method of FIG. 11 is theprovision of the braid-on wig hair extension 10 illustrated in earlierdrawings.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a wearer W of the wig 10,illustrating the first step in the installation of the braid-on wig hairextension. Initially, first and second tresses or forelocks of hair T1and T2 are combed from the frontal hair of the wearer W by combing,etc., generally as described in the second step 102 of FIG. 11. Thesetwo tresses T1 and T2 are then braided to form forelock braids FB1 andFB2 that lie to the left and right along the scalp line of the forehead,somewhat as cornrow braiding would be accomplished, generally as shownin FIG. 3 of the drawings and described in the third step 104 of FIG.11. These two forelock braids FB1 and FB2 are not used to secure theforward portion of the wig 10 to the head of the wearer, but rather as ameans of neatly storing forwardly disposed native hair that will not beused for wig attachment. These forwardly disposed braids FB1 and FB2will be unraveled, combed over and blended with the display hair of thewig 10 once it has been installed on the head of the wearer W. Thesefirst and second steps of forming forelock tresses and braids willfrequently be accomplished, but are not absolutely necessary in theinstallation of the wig 10 to the hair of the wearer W. In the eventthat the forelock tresses and braids are omitted, the process remainsthe same but begins at the wearer's natural hairline.

FIG. 4 is a left side view showing the initial procedure in the actualattachment of the braid-on wig hair extension 10 to the native hair ofthe wearer W. FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing the completion of theprocedure illustrated in FIG. 4. The procedure of FIGS. 4 and 5 isdescribed generally in the fourth and fifth steps 106 and 108 of theflowchart of FIG. 11. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the braid-on wig hair extension10 is everted to extend to the front of the wearer W, and the forwardperiphery 22 of the base 12 is aligned atop the head of the wearerimmediately behind the forelock storage braids FB1 and FB2 (visible inFIG. 4). Some of the wearer's native hair disposed somewhat behind thefrontal storage braids FB1 and FB2 is combed out to form first andsecond wig attachment locks, a portion of the first or left sideattachment lock L1 being shown in FIG. 4. The first row attachmenttresses 20 a of the braid-on wig hair extension 10 are also combed outand blended with the corresponding wig attachment locks, the combinedfirst row attachment tresses 20 a and corresponding attachment locks(e.g., first attachment lock L1) being braided together to form wigattachment braids. A portion of the first wig attachment braid AB1 isillustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings extending from the firstattachment lock L1. The completed first wig attachment braids AB1 andAB2 are shown in the top plan view of FIG. 5. These wig attachmentbraids are also braided to lay close to the scalp, as in the case of theforelock storage braids FB1 and FB2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 also illustrate a subsequent step in the installationprocedure, as described generally by the fifth step 108 of the flowchartof FIG. 11. It will be noted that there is a longitudinal distance orspan between each of the attachment tresses 20 a through 20 d from frontto back along the inner surface 16 of the wig base 12. It will also benoted that in most cases, the wearer of the braid-on wig hair extension10 may have somewhat more native hair than is necessary to form wigattachment braids. This excess hair must be dispensed with in somemanner. The manner illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings (andvarious subsequent drawings) is the braiding of the excess hair to formone or more scalp-conforming (i.e., cornrow style) storage braids SB1atop the forward portion of the crown of the wearer's head. Thesestorage braids SB1 are formed so that they may be positioned beneath thearea of the wig base 12 between the first attachment braid row AB1 andAB2 and the following attachment braid row, the left side of which isshown as partially formed attachment braid AB3 in FIG. 6. It will benoted that the sinusoidal pattern shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for the storagebraid(s) SB1 is not mandatory. Other braiding patterns may be used asdesired, the main point being the compact storage of the wearer's hairthat is not used for wig attachment. The formation of such storagebraids SB1 may be preferred by the wearer W of the wig 10, in that theexcess hair stored in the form of braids SB1 may be quickly and easilyunbraided when the braid-on wig hair extension 10 is removed.Alternatively, the excess hair may be cut and disposed of, if sodesired, or compactly arranged beneath the wig 10 in some other manner.

FIG. 6 of the drawings illustrates the next two steps in theinstallation procedure, corresponding with the sixth and seventh steps110 and 112 described generally in the flowchart of FIG. 11. In FIG. 6,the base 12 of the wig 10 has been folded farther rearward from itsforward attachment along braids AB1 and AB2, and the intermediate secondattachment tress 20 b is shown extending to the rear. This intermediateattachment tress 20 b is combed and blended with corresponding nativehair of the wearer and braided together to form third and fourth wigattachment braids. The third attachment braid AB3 is shown partiallycompleted in the left side elevation view of FIG. 6. (It should be notedthat the braiding process for attaching the wig attachment tress 20 b tothe attachment braid AB3 is not shown in its entirety in FIG. 6, inorder to avoid concealing the first storage braid SB1.) Excess hairdisposed rearwardly of these third and fourth wig attachment braids maybe formed into cornrow type second storage braids SB2 lying close to thescalp for storage, as shown in FIG. 7, in the manner of the firststorage braids SB1, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As in the case of the firststorage braids SB1, the hair used to form the second storage braids SB2may be compactly arranged in some alternative manner, or cut, if sodesired.

FIG. 7 of the drawings is a rear elevation view of the head of thewearer of the braid-on wig hair extension 10, showing the formation of asecond area of storage braids SB2 rearwardly of the third and fourth wigattachment braids AB3 and AB4. As in the cases of the other storagebraid areas SB1 and SB2, the braids may be put in any pattern, so longas the hair is stored compactly and does not interfere with theattachment or wearing of the braid-on wig hair extension 10. This stepof forming a second storage braid area SB2 across the back of the headis indicated generally by the seventh step 112 of the flowchart of FIG.11.

FIG. 8 is a left side elevation view showing the next step in thebraid-on wig hair extension attachment process. This step is similar tothat shown in FIG. 7, but occurs farther back on the head of the wearerW of the braid-on wig 10, immediately rearwardly of the second set ofstorage braids SB2. In FIG. 8, the wig base 12 has been folded fartherback over the top and back of the wearer's head, the second set ofstorage braids SB2 shown in FIG. 7 being concealed by the braid-on wighair extension 10. In FIG. 8, the tresses of native hair of the wearerhave already been combed out and blended with the third row tress 20 c(shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 6) to form a third row of attachmentbraids, the fifth attachment braid AB5 of the left side being visible inFIG. 8. Both the seventh and eighth attachment braids AB7 and AB8 areshown in the rear elevation view of FIG. 9, discussed below. Thisformation of a fourth row of attachment braids across the upper rearportion of the wearer's head is similar to the procedure for forming thethird row of attachment braids, described generally by the eighth step114 of the flowchart of FIG. 11.

FIG. 9 is another rear elevation view illustrating the final braidingstep in the attachment of the braid-on wig hair extension 10 to the hairof the wearer. In FIG. 9, the braid-on wig hair extension 10 has beenfolded further rearward and downward over the back of the wearer's headto the nape of the neck. A final left and right wig attachment braidpair AB7, AB8 has been formed behind the ears, and extends across thebase of the head at the top of the neck of the wearer. This final wigattachment braid pair AB7, AB8 is shown in FIG. 9, formed as describedfurther above for the other attachment braids, i.e., by combing andblending tresses of the wearer's native hair with the lock(s) ortress(es) forming the rearward attachment tress row 20 d, shown in FIGS.1 and 4 through 8 of the drawings. The final, tenth step 118 of theflowchart of FIG. 11 generally describes the procedure shown completedin FIG. 9. The final distal end of the braid pair AB7, AB8 is tuckedunder the base of wig hair extension 10 for concealment. Alternatively,the final end of the wig attachment braid pair AB7, AB8 may beinterlaced into the braids AB7, AB8 themselves, or any other suitablemethod may be used to secure and conceal the ends of the braid pair.

Once the final attachment braid AB4 has been completed, as shown in FIG.9, the forebraids FB1 and FB2 of FIG. 3 (if included) are unraveled,combed out, and blended with the display hair 18. The braid-on wig hairextension 10 is then combed out to form the finished wig installation,an example of which is shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings. The braid-onwig 10 may remain in place for perhaps a few weeks or more due to itssecure attachment to the native hair of the wearer. The wearer is ableto perform any task or activity that might be done with only her nativehair. Thus, the braid-on wig hair extension 10 may be washed, combedout, styled, and/or otherwise treated, just as in the case of thewearer's native hair.

The braid-on wig hair extension 10 may comprise various embodiments inaddition to that illustrated in the drawings. For example, it has beennoted further above that the base sheet 12 for the wig 10 may be formedin many ways. A common material used in the formation of the base sheetfor a wig is a porous or non-porous material, mesh, netting, combinationof wefts, or transparent or semi-transparent lace material. Such porousmaterial conventionally has myriad pores or passages therethrough,indicated as 26 in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The size of these pores mayvary to serve as native hair passages 26 through which some of thenative hair of the wearer may be drawn and blended with the display hair18 of the wig 10 for more volume and/or a more natural appearance and toprovide additional security for the installation.

While it is envisioned that most such braid-on wig hair extensions 10will be of high quality and formed using natural human hair, theattachment method described herein is not limited to such, but may beused with wigs formed of synthetic or artificial fibers as well, and/orwigs containing a combination of natural hair and synthetic fibers.Moreover, it will be noted that while a three-quarter size braid-on wighair extension 10 is illustrated throughout the drawings, the braid-onwig hair extension may be manufactured in various sizes adapted to coverall or only a portion of the head of the wearer, if so desired.Regardless of the specific structure or size of the braid-on wig in itsvarious embodiments, the wig and method of attachment shown anddescribed herein provide a much more positive and secure means ofsecuring a wig to the native hair of the wearer, permitting the wearerto treat the wig just as she would her native hair.

The braid-on wig hair extension may be worn for many weeks and willremain secure until removed, even as the native hair grows out. However,the braid-on wig hair extension can be quickly and easily changed byunraveling the existing attachment braids AB1 through AB8 to remove theunit, and then combing and braiding the attachment tresses 20 a through20 d of the new braid-on wig hair extension with the wearer's nativehair in the manner described further above. The storage braids need notbe disturbed, and can remain in place on the wearer's head duringremoval and replacement of the wig. If it is desired to remove thebraid-on wig hair extension completely without installation of anotherbraid-on wig, all braids (attachment and storage) are unraveled. Thisprocess can be performed quickly and easily by the wearer of thebraid-on wig.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A braid-on wig hair extension, comprising: a wig base made from athin, pliable, head-conforming sheet of material, the wig base having anexterior surface and an interior surface opposite the exterior surface;display hair extending from substantially the entire exterior surface ofthe wig base; and a plurality of attachment hair tresses extending fromthe interior surface of the base.
 2. The braid-on wig hair extensionaccording to claim 1, wherein the wig base is formed of a porousmaterial having a plurality of passages adapted for passing native hairtherethrough.
 3. The braid-on wig hair extension according to claim 1,wherein the wig base is adapted for covering substantially the entirescalp of the wearer when installed thereon.
 4. The braid-on wig hairextension according to claim 1, wherein the wig base is adapted forcovering a portion of the scalp of the wearer when installed thereon. 5.The braid-on wig hair extension according to claim 1, wherein thedisplay hair is formed of strands of material selected from the groupconsisting of natural hair and synthetic fibers and filaments.
 6. Thebraid-on wig hair extension according to claim 1, wherein the attachmenthair tresses are formed of strands of material selected from the groupconsisting of natural human hair, artificial hair, fibers, filaments,and cords.
 7. A method of attaching a braid-on wig hair extension to thenative hair of a wearer using the apparatus of claim 1, comprising thesteps of: (a) combing a first attachment tress of the wig base into afirst lock of the wearer's native hair; (b) forming a scalp-conformingbraid of the combined first attachment tress and the first lock of thewearer's native hair; (c) combing a final attachment tress of the wigbase into a final lock of the wearer's native hair; and (d) forming ascalp-conforming braid of the combined final attachment tress and thefinal lock of the wearer's native hair.
 8. The method of attaching abraid-on wig hair extension to the native hair of a wearer according toclaim 7, further including the steps of: (a) defining at least one areaof non-attachment native hair on the head of the wearer; and (b)dispensing with the non-attachment native hair.
 9. The method ofattaching a braid-on wig hair extension to the native hair of a weareraccording to claim 8, wherein the step of dispensing with thenon-attachment native hair comprises forming at least onescalp-conforming braid thereof.
 10. The method of attaching a braid-onwig hair extension to the native hair of a wearer according to claim 7,further including the steps of: (a) combing at least one intermediateattachment tress of the wig base into a corresponding intermediate lockof the wearer's native hair; and (b) forming a scalp-conforming braid ofthe combined intermediate attachment tress and intermediate native hairlock.
 11. The method of attaching a braid-on wig hair extension to thenative hair of a wearer according to claim 7, wherein the wig base ismade of porous material, the method further including the steps of: (a)drawing at least some of the wearer's native hair through pores in thewig base to the exterior surface thereof; and (b) blending theexternally disposed native hair with the display hair.
 12. The method ofattaching a braid-on wig hair extension to the native hair of a weareraccording to claim 7, wherein the display hair is formed of strands ofmaterial selected from the group consisting of natural hair andsynthetic fibers and filaments.
 13. The method of attaching a braid-onwig hair extension to the native hair of a wearer according to claim 7,wherein the attachment hair tresses are formed of strands of materialselected from the group consisting of natural human hair, artificialhair, fibers, filaments, and cords.
 14. A method of attaching a braid-onwig hair extension to the native hair of a wearer, comprising the stepsof: (a) selecting a braid-on wig hair extension formed from a wig baseof a thin, pliable, head-conforming sheet of material having an exteriorsurface and an interior surface opposite the exterior surface, theextension having display hair extending from substantially the entireexterior surface of the wig base and a plurality of attachment hairtresses extending from the interior surface of the base; (b) combing afirst attachment tress of the wig base into a first lock of the wearer'snative hair; (c) forming a scalp-conforming braid of the combined firstattachment tress and the first lock of the wearer's native hair; (d)combing a final attachment tress of the wig base into a final lock ofthe wearer's native hair; and (e) forming a scalp-conforming braid ofthe combined final attachment tress and the final lock of the wearer'snative hair.
 15. The method of attaching a braid-on wig hair extensionto the native hair of a wearer according to claim 14, further includingthe steps of: (a) defining at least one area of non-attachment nativehair on the head of the wearer; and (b) dispensing with thenon-attachment native hair.
 16. The method of attaching a braid-on wighair extension to the native hair of a wearer according to claim 15,wherein the step of dispensing with the non-attachment native haircomprises forming at least one scalp-conforming braid thereof.
 17. Themethod of attaching a braid-on wig hair extension to the native hair ofa wearer according to claim 14, further including the steps of: (a)combing at least one intermediate attachment tress of the wig base intoa corresponding intermediate lock of the wearer's native hair; and (b)forming a scalp-conforming braid of the combined intermediate attachmenttress and intermediate native hair lock.
 18. The method of attaching abraid-on wig hair extension to the native hair of a wearer according toclaim 14, wherein the wig base is formed of a porous material, themethod further including the steps of: (a) drawing at least some of thewearer's native hair through pores in the wig base to the exteriorsurface thereof; and (b) blending the externally disposed native hairwith the display hair.
 19. The method of attaching a braid-on wig hairextension to the native hair of a wearer according to claim 14, whereinthe display hair is formed of strands of material selected from thegroup consisting of natural hair and synthetic fibers and filaments. 20.The method of attaching a braid-on wig hair extension to the native hairof a wearer according to claim 14, wherein the attachment hair tressesare formed of strands of material selected from the group consisting ofnatural human hair, artificial hair, fibers, filaments, and cords.